Six years was a long time to wait to go deer hunting. But that's how long it took to draw a mule deer tag for Nevada. I knew that the okay mule taken six years ago was a rash decision, especially considering that Big Nasty was roaming the Delmore Mountains in Lincoln County.

A friend had told me about an unusually large deer that he had seen near Lincoln. It had a very large G4 antler tine on the right side, later measured to be 16 inches. Since it was almost six inches larger than the G4 on the left side, the antlers had an intimidating look of a swinging saber when the deer shook its head. My sons Hunter and Tanner named him, Big Nasty.

Knowing that I had drawn a coveted mule deer tag for this unit, my family and I spent many days scouting prior to the season. We had a photo album of trail cam and camera pictures. We knew where the deer foraged, browsed, chased, and rested. Though Big Nasty had a fairly extensive range, a pattern had emerged that I hoped to put to use in September 2011.

Since my hunt was a muzzleloader mule deer hunt, I had spent a lot of time getting ready. A Thompson/Center Black Diamond Super 45 rifle was fed a diet of three Pyrodex pellets (150 grains) along with a 225-grain Power Belt hollow-point bullet. This combination, when ignited by a 209 primer, worked well for me out to 200 yards. The rifle carried a combination of open rear and fiber optic front bead sights. This was as far as I had practiced, handicapped by the lack of a scope. But, along with a lightweight synthetic stock, this is a lightweight combination that was great for stalking over the rocks and brushy land of the southwest.

Two days prior to the season, my family and I traveled south from my home in Pioche, Nevada, to see if we could find Big Nasty in the area I had scouted. But I became alarmed when he was nowhere to be found.

Opening day was a bust. It was hot, dry, and dusty; but that night it rained, and that had a remarkable effect on the deer. The next morning dawned clear and beautiful, with mule deer moving out of their shady shelter areas. As I crawled up to the top of the hill where I usually scouted with my spotting scope, I saw a big buck traveling with a doe. The pass was about 400 yards away, much too far for a shot, so I stalked 200 yards closer. Slowly I peeked over the next rise ... but couldn't find the deer!

I knew from scouting that Big Nasty liked to bed down in the next draw. Moving slowly, I inched over the edge of the hill, and there he was. He stepped out from behind some trees and I ranged him at 211 yards. The shot was at the outside edge of what I had practiced. It was also a shot that angled steeply downhill.

The gun came up on the bipod; I aligned the sights slowly and took the shot. After the smoke cleared, I was unsure if the bullet had hit its mark. I quickly sat up and reloaded. After some time, I didn't spot the deer escaping or any other deer scrambling from cover.

In my excitement at the possibility of connecting with Big Nasty, I called my family and asked them to help me search for and recover the deer. It didn't take long. As soon as my dad Jim and my wife Amy arrived with the two boys, we found the giant lying only 30 yards from the spot he was hit, but in the next ravine.

I thought that the deer would score around 195 LHS, but when Rusty Hall measured Big Nasty, this trophy turned out to be the new Nevada state record and the new Longhunter Society number-one Typical Mule Deer at 207 1/8 points!